Fixing the cracks
by CelestialBirb
Summary: Friends come and go, some bonds simply just aren't meant to linger no matter how much we want them to. When faith smiles upon Rutile with an opportunity to reclaim a lost bond she takes without a second thought. But some bonds may be better left unbothered. A sequel to "Two gems and a Bar" taking place a year and a half later.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone had their breaking point but it was generally expected for a doctor to be as professional as humanly possible regardless of any personal affairs, as was the case in most customer care and civil service occupations, probably even more so since matters in the hospital were often very personal in nature.

Rutile understood that and when she had her doctors hat on she was as patient as she needed to be. She seldom ever had that patience tested… But her latest patient… Well, he was undoubtedly pushing her buttons in a few ways she wasn't accustomed to.

"Mr. Photeus… Please hold still" Rutile said as she struggled to hold the little boy's arm in place as she lowered the needle, wanting to swiftly inject the medicine before she'd end up accidentally stabbing either herself or him with it. So far he was rather determined to not let this happen.

"Keep it away! Please, I can't handle needles!" he pleaded as another woman held him down on the chair by the shoulders, the vacant expression on her face as she did showing she was well accustomed to this sort of behavior. He was one of the older youngsters she'd met over the years and was just around thirteen with bright green hair and matching emerald eyes. She supposed the attitude was understandable considering he was just a kid, but she'd injected ten-year-olds with less fuss, a lot less if she was entirely candid.

Why was a heart surgeon injecting antibiotics into kids? Well, that was a question she was just curious to know the answer to ask. The syringe and recommended medication was often laid out in advance to make the process efficient but stuff like this generally wasn't her purview and had her dropping some of her morning's tasks to familiarise herself with the original doctor's case files just in case the offered medication was incorrect.

A matter of convenience for staff she supposed, whoever wasn't in the ER when someone walked in with an appointment seemed to be the case for her more and more these days. She wasn't complaining though, She just happened to be the one on break when they walked in she supposed.

"Come now Photeus, your only prolonging whats going to happen so just sit still already and let the doctor work" the second woman grumbled as she finally snagged his arms and held it in place as the boy struggled like his life was on the line. Rutile wasted no time holding his wrist in place and in trying to line up a vain from him.

Unfortunately for this to work she needed his cooperation. So she glanced up at the woman with a prodding look that explained her stance quite clearly. ' _I can't do my job unless he cooperates.'_

"I promise the pain won't last long. Just make a fist, so the vein show up"

"No…" he grumbled in response.

"Photeus" the woman reprimanded to which he groaned, finally caving.

"… You promise it'll hurt for a second" the boy said looking up at Rutile worriedly.

"Cross my heart" the doctor responded with a halfhearted smile. Obviously, that wasn't a promise she could keep but the soner she got this over with the sooner she could have the child out of her hair.

"…Ok. I'll hold still" he said finally cooperating, but no sooner did a vain show and the sight of a needle nearing his flesh did the struggling resume and with Rutile's patience having hit a breaking point she held the arm in place and injecting the needle. He squealed response and kicked his free leg out vainly.

Rutile took a simple step to the side as she kept an iron grip on his arm so the only thing he could do was push his own bag down, annoyingly the bag was partially unzipped and with the floodgates opened half its contents slid out as it fell. Mostly a collection of comics, some snacks, a few school books and a few others she couldn't be bothered to look at.

"You said a second, it's definitely been more than a second!" Photeus wined as Rutile finished the injecting the antibiotic.

"Patience Mr. Photeus-"

"Phosphophilite!" he said, cutting her off as she retraced the needle and set it on the table.

"What?" she said with a raised brow.

"Call me Phos, not Photeus" she repeated, prompting Rutile to glance at the woman serving as his guardian.

"Apologies Doctor, he can be quite troublesome. Phos is just a nickname he particularly likes" she said as she rubbed her head.

"I see" Rutile said nonchalantly as she wiped the injury and put a band-aid over it. "You might get a little sleepy later but the stomach aches should be gone by tomorrow" she explained with a small smile. "All done" she said she stood up and took off her gloves.

"Ugh. It stings, and my stuff got pushed over" Photeus grumbled.

The other woman gently whacked his head with a folded magazine. "That was your doing. Now pack your things, were going back to the bus"

"Ugh, fine, thanks Miss Ru…" Photeus said trailing a he searched for the words.

"Rutile" she finished as she grabbed a notepad and passed it over to the other woman. "Just sign out and you can walk out" she said pointing to the signiture strip with a pen.

"Ah, right. Thank you" she responded with a bow as she signed them out. Once that was done the pair walked out the door with the young doctor shutting the door and rubbing her temples.

"Ugh… I'm never having kids" she announced, grimacing at the thought of spawning anything as hyperactive and thoughtlessly talkative as Photeus as she put away some of the instruments and headed back to the mess hall. At the very least the story would keep Jade reasonably entertained.

Taking a step back from that little diversion, an introduction of sorts was prudent, she supposed.

Her name was Rutile, a twenty-five year old heart surgeon best known for her extreme work ethic, dry wit, punctuality and an odd penchant for dissection. Unassuming as they got by appearance alone but with more under the surface than the average doctor, a photographic memory of the skeletal system as well all the internal organs and brilliant at her work, the best heart surgeon in her station if they were honest and that was saying something considering she worked at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country, though that wasn't a title she liked to throw around.

If her age didn't give it away she was had only been working for the last three years as a heart surgeon, didn't stop from excelling at what she did though, overall she only had seven failed surgeries and four of those were more to do with the patients arriving at the ER in a state that was beyond repair than a flow in her overall methodology.

Why the health sector? Well, it was just the apparent route for her. Having a father with two Ph.D.'s in medicine with over forty years of experience in laser surgery and a mother who'd written a number of textbooks that were practically a must have if you were in medical school. She'd considered a few other fields as a child and her parents were none too concerned with her chosen course of study so long as it wasn't something valueless like the entertainment industry. Or at least that's what her Mother and Father thought of it.

They had been married for a good number of years before they conceived her, both in their forties when she was old enough to start remembering faces and were now on the tail end of their sixties. So you could say it went without saying that they had lived through a lot of things. Music and paintings were abstract, they're effects weren't quantifiable, and the artists or 'con-artists' as Father would put it always hid behind the 'art is subjective argument'. She still remembered that one time her mother jokingly threatened to disown her if she ever tried to pursue music as a career and to this day she wasn't sure how much of it was was just joking.

Well, she supposed there was no need to ponder such things now that she was literally following their footsteps, they would find her wanting in no capacity, right?

Soon enough it was closing time, and she heard the familiar voice of her best friend, Jade, at the door. She was a young woman only a year younger than Rutile herself who worked in the hospital as a Pharmacist/Organiser.

"You finished up for the day Rutile?" Jade asked as she opened up the door, her bag held close and quite ready to retire for the day. The multicolored doctor sighed and rubbed her tense shoulders. How long had she been reading through this PDF?

"Just about, give me a second while I pack up," she said as she closed the laptop and placed it in her workbag. She could resume reading at a later date, she supposed.

"Jeez, you always seem to forget your allowed to close at six. Talk about a workaholic" Jade muttered under her breath as she looked through the room to see the Doctor had a number of books strung about around the office, it was irksome how Rutile someone that kept her home as organised and symmetrical as possible could get so absorbed in her work that she'd forget the policy against cluttering up the office.

"Sorry about that," she said with a slight blush as she gathered her things up. Jade not wanting to be kept stepped in to offer a hand. Placing the books back into the shelf and handing Rutile the books she needed to head back home with.

"You'll just do it again tomorrow" Jade responded with a smirk which Rutile returned. That was when the green haired girl glanced down to see a piece of paper sticking out from beneath the coffee table. "Hmm, what's this?" she said bending over to pick it up.

"Hmm?" Rutile glanced over as she zipped up her computer bag. "You got something?"

"Yeah, a poster actually. For some concert happening at the capital in a week" Jade said as she waved the dusty poster around. Well, Photeus was the only appointment she'd had today so it probably passed them by when he kicked the bag down.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose at the memory of that boy.

"It's probably from the boy I treated today. Let me see" she said as she reached for the poster which Jade handed to her with a curious look.

"Something tells me you didn't have a good time" she said noting her tired posture.

"You could say that" Rutile replied as she turned the poster over. It was a pretty basic black background with a single performer in the middle with a Cello in hand, a spotlight centering above them and illuminating their stage. A rather fetching tuxedo over their shoulders and a regal smile on their lips as strands of Ruby red hair formed just above their forehead, the rest of their forty mane neatly tucked in behind them … Why was there something achingly familiar about this poster?

"Well, you'll have to call them to get it back now… Yeah, you can do that when your home. I'm not staying behind to wait for someone to come over and pick it up for them" Jade said as she adjusted her the hem of her skirt.

"…". That familiar thick yet finely styled hair, the relaxed smile and the Cello in hand… There was only one person she knew that fit that descript-No! She was overthinking things again. That stupid obsession of hers made it easy to make any association to that acquaintance. Irrationally tying herself to someone that had probably long forgotten her name.

Yet… There was no mistaking that face

"Hey, quit zoning out will yah" Jade said, it did little to draw Rutile's attention however as she read the whole poster.

 ** _A performance that'll make everyone a hipster_**

 ** _One of the best Cellist performances ever recorded_**

Said the tagline at the top of the poster, a bit lame as far as clever wordplay went but what did she know about posters and branding.

 **Come see Concerto's fourth live performance on Friday the 7th.**

She kept doing double takes on the eyes, facial expression, and hair colour, ready to snap herself out of this fabricated imagery. It could have just been a coincidence, it had to be!

Rutile was pulled out of her thoughts at the sensation of Jade's arm on her shoulder.

"Rutile, are you alright. Your arms are shaking" Jade said, her tone conveying concern as Rutile noted her arms were indeed shaking uncontrollably.

"I…" she struggled to find the words. "It's _them_ Jade," Rutile said to the emerald haired gem who understandably looked more confused.

"Who?" she asked.

"Padparadscha. The person I met at that bar over a year ago" she said turning over the poster to Jade, her eyes full of hope and genuine happiness despite her shaking arms.

Was it really alright for her to dare let those old feelings rear their heads again? Irrational feelings that had her combing the capital for an entire weekend. At the exact moment, Rutile simply did not care.

* * *

 **Finally got around to writing this sequel. Distractions just seemed to jump out from left to right that had me keep putting this on hold. But here's the first chapter of what may or may not be another three-parter. Feel free to let me know what you think if you feel so inclined.**

 **You can expect the next to be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Seriously, I can't believe you're actually considering this again," Alex said with a look that had nothing short of exasperation. An understandable response but not one the brunette would let herself be hindered by. She needed this right now.

"Alex, please," Rutile said as she looked her friend dead on, the older woman rolled her eyes and glanced out the window, casually observing the bustling streets. Seeing that she was on vacation at the moment Rutile and Jade invited her to a Café to have lunch, treat her to lunch, so she's in a good mood then pop the question.

Jade sat adjacent to either of them, her middleman position quite clearly illustrating her place in the conversation. More an observer than a contributor, which wasn't really helping.

"What is with you and your obsession with that person? I thought you said you were putting them in your past" Alex pointed out with a disappointed sigh. At least Jade tried to get her, Alexandrite just thought she was being silly about this whole matter. Which wasn't exactly something she could dispute, but it also wasn't what she wanted to hear right now

"I did put them in the past. But". She raised the poster up and pointed at the figure in it. "there's no mistaking that face. This is Padparadscha, and I need to meet them".

Alex blinked at the poster before glancing at Jade who gave a sheepish smile. She then took a sip of her Coffee before outstretching her arm to it. "Can I see?"

Rutile complied and handed it over, letting the Teacher scroll through for a good minute.

"So this is that Pad, well he definitely matches your description… I'm not so sure if attending's best for you" Alex said a bit offhandedly. Rutile winced slightly at the sharp words, but just as quickly as the words left her lips did Alex retract them. "Sorry. I'm not trying to be harsh here, but I just don't think it'll be a good choice for you to go."

She certainly wasn't accustomed to this sort of negativity from Alex of all people, but when she got serious she usually knew what she was talking about.

"Why not?" Rutile replied. "A year ago I literally took a leave of absence from the hospital just to find them, and when an opportunity literally shows up at my feet you want me to let it pass by?"

"Well, yes…" Alex had to take a moment to articulate herself. "Jade may be too nice to say it, but you almost became a different person last time this Padparadscha entered the picture. Burying yourself in work, sulking during lunch hours and not talking to anyone about your problems for months at a time."

They were words the doctor was expecting, but the knowledge didn't little to lessen their sting.

Pausing Alexandrite took another sip from her mug. "To begin with. Have you even thought this through? Even if you want to meet them do you think this Padparadscha wants to meet you?"

That she wasn't expecting to hear, and she'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt her resolve. Frowning she shifted her gaze to the side.

"Hey, don't be so harsh. You know how much she wants this" Jade cut in with a frown.

"You know she needs to hear this, Jade" Alex responded

"You could still be nicer about it."

"How would that help if things don't pan out well?" Alex replied as she narrowed her eyes at Jade who went quiet. Silently acknowledging her words. "What if Padparadscha's moved on? The Poster certainly tells us losing contact hasn't stopped them from advancing. What if it was all a fling to begin with? What if they think Rutile was just toying with them? They'd lash out if they saw her. She has literally no clue what she's walking into if she meets them again."

It wasn't like this thought never went through her head, but she didn't want to think of them, knowing the possibility they'd stop her from going through with it. What she had with Padparadscha that evening was special, she truly believed the feeling was mutual. But what if she really was the only one that was still just as interested in meeting again, Pad had no reason to believe she didn't just merely throw what they had to the side and carry on with her life. It was a terrifying thought she didn't want to entertain.

Alex was right, she didn't need to risk this, to gamble with her feelings. She had zero dating experience, there was so much she didn't know… And yet, she wouldn't be disgruntled. She knew at her core that she HAD to do it, no matter what happened she needed some kind of closure.

"Rutile, you invited me here for my opinion. And I say you don't have to do this" Alex repeated. Wanting to make the risks clear to her. Always ready to be honest when she felt it was necessary, that was how Alex always was.

Rutile inhaled and turned back "Your right. I don't have to do this. Of course, there's a chance they don't want to see me again. But Alex I don't have to do this. I NEED to do this. At very least I need to know I tried to see them again or I'll never live this down. It'll hang over over like a bad Omen for God knows how many years." She replied in a single breath. Her determination renewed.

The two stared each other down for several seconds before Alex smiled. "Fine, I know better than to argue when you get that look in your eye. Good luck" she said with a smile before finishing off her mug and standing up. "Give me a call whenever you're ready to go. I'd like to meet this Padparadscha in person."

* * *

The day of the performance was roughly just a week off, meaning she'd have to ask for a leave of absence from the hospital manager, a leave she knew was only granted because of her generally positive work record. One of the perks of being the worker that entirely devoted herself to the hospital but even then she could tell it was something she only got grudgingly.

Either way, she wasn't complaining. She took a photo of the poster before placing it into their hospitals 'lost and found' desk. Asking about the photo did cross her mind, but after looking up the venue herself, she found it was surprisingly easy to book tickets for and ultimately decided there was no need.

After booking her own seat, she linked Jade and Alex to the website, and the trio decided to meet up in Alex's truck for the long drive to the capital.

The trip was Roughly a four-hour drive without breaks and half a days journey if the driver wasn't the sort that could sit at the wheel for an extended amount of time, the train had been tempting for only an hour thirty minutes on the time, but tickets were far too expensive between the three of them. Rutile could pay the toll without really denting her wallet. Nevertheless Jade and Alex certainly weren't coughing up 300 credits for a trip to somewhere they could drive to.

Jade didn't have a license, so she was out of the equation as far as driving shifts went. Alex had offered to drive the whole way but with a bit of prodding they decided to split the drive into Rutile taking the first two hours and Alex would take the other two.

Naturally, the thought of just going there, spending a day and coming back the next was none too pleasant, so they arrived a day to the performance and booked a decent motel to spend the weekend in.

Frankly, the fact that an opportunity to meet Padparadscha again was something she'd convinced herself would never happen. It had been said before, but Rutile wasn't one to think of destiny or some form of higher intervention. It just wasn't how she was raised, yet for a poster left behind by a random patient she ordinarily wouldn't have even treated if she wasn't on break to have their face plastered on. Well, it made her wonder a bit.

Speaking of Pad, she was both excited and nervous at the prospect of seeing them. And the fear only seemed to get stronger the further along they got in their trip. And now here she was, sitting cozily In a motel in the capital with her two friends, Jade and Alex.

"Ugh, I can't believe I actually did this" Jade muttered into her pillow as she stretched out on her bed. The greenette would be sharing a bathroom with Rutile with separate beds while Alex got her own private bedroom for tonight. Mostly to minimise their expenses with the agreement being that they'd all get one night in the singles room over the weekend.

"Well, I did say I could go on my own. But you two insisted" Rutile replied as she took off her jacket and sat on her bedside. Eager to lie down for a little bit. After taking on the last two hours and booking their bedroom Alex was quite adamant on taking the first night in the singles room to unwind for a bit.

"Yeah because I need to know what all the fuss is about. Besides your always too eager to shoulder stuff on your own, even when you're in over your head" Jade replied as she sat up and looked over at the brunette across the room.

Rutile gave a dry smile in response though her back was turned to Jade, in-between taking off her shoes. "Lucky me," she said, though only half sarcastically

Jade snorted at the emptiness in her response before sitting back. "By the way. If you actually meet Pad and they end up wanting nothing to do with you… What are you gonna do then?" she asked very offhandedly. Enough to give Rutile pause.

"I… I don't know. Go back to the hospital and try to bury this in the past I suppose" Rutile with a sigh, the mere thought of the entire trip leading up to that being particularly souring.

"I guess that would be the only thing you could do… Sorry, I'm being a downer, I just want to be sure you know what you're doing" Jade said pausing and recalling where they were. "Though considering were already here that's probably pointless to talk about now."

"I appreciate the concern Jade, but I've made up my mind," Rutile said as she walked over to the rooms little mini-fridge and opened it up to store the water bottle inside.

Jade gave a slight grimace in response. "Well, If nothing else we should have some fun around the city before the performance… When did you say the time was again?"

"8:30 pm. According to the website."

"Right, plenty of time to get a lot of stuff done tomorrow, assuming we can actually stick to a schedule."

"With Alex's sleeping habits? Good luck getting her to step out of her room anytime before 11:00 am."

The last camping trip the trio had a few years back gave them lots of familiarity with Alex's do infamous sleeping schedule. At their worst, they were more like hibernation periods where the hope of a productive morning was all but lost. Alex slept like a log and kicked with the strength of a charging bull at the slightest prodding.

"And she's supposed to be a history teacher, aren't her classes like really early, how does she get to them with a sleeping schedule like that?" Jade muttered as she placed a contemplative hand on her chin.

Rutile shrugged with a slight smile. "She sniffs out the salary at the end of the month and strengths her will to get out of bed," she said dryly.

"Yeah probably," Jade said with a little snicker. God knows the person in question would be less than amused by all the jabs, but hey Alex never hesitated to take her down a peg when she wasn't around and the same with Jade.

With her confidence strengthened she snickered lightly before walking over to her bag. "Alright, I'm heading into the shower first," she said as she slung her towel over her shoulder with a toothbrush in hand.

"Sure. I'll just lay here for a bit" Jade said with a tired look that had the heart surgeon raising a brow. Considering she didn't drive a lick of the last four hours the roles should have been reversed. She said nothing however, and closed the door behind her


	3. Chapter 3

**EARLIER THAT DAY**

Transitioning from the one string instrument to another, in this case from the Violin to the Cello, there a number of common mistakes beginners made, from the assumed posture changing to the way the bow was held, and yes details like those did matter. If you liked to play the violin standing you'd have to learn to play the Cello sitting. All the four strings produced a distinctly deeper pronunciations on a Cello and playing it skillfully was a bit more involved compared to the violin

Not to say the latter was easy, no string instrument was necessarily easily to play, granted knowing the former certainly helped, but when it came mastering the Cello, past experience with a Violin was incremental at best. Thus, the Cello was a familiar yet very different kind of learning exercise. As someone that went through that exact transition Padparadscha could support that perspective.

"I think my ears are bleeding" Mr. Adam, the auditorium manager said rather bluntly as the Cellist in the centre of the room accidentally went into a minor cord in-between a major. The Cellist at his side, Yelena, a young woman with short bob cut gold hair, cringed ever so slightly as the graceful rhythm they'd established over the last minute of the performance was utterly broken.

As one who'd dedicated most of his life to the craft of music writing, Mr. Adam was a bit of stickler for perfection, especially if the piece being played was one that was particularly close to his heart. With that in mind, maybe letting Albertoven play Moonlight Sonata in front of their teacher probably wasn't the best decision. Still, how could they turn down someone with such a determined look in their eyes down at the request.

Padparadscha smiled slightly next to Mr. Adam. Not wanting to be too hard on their student and collegue from the last few years, but there was no denying that was one of the most painful to hear breaks in rhythm they'd seen in a while.

"I think its better he makes mistakes when he's in practice so he doesn't encounter issues on the stage," Padparadscha said as they folded their arms behind their back. Standing next to Mr. Adam's chair as the two performers took it from the top again. Padparadscha was dressed in their usual work attire consisting of a formal tuxedo and bowtie with their hair tied in its usual long ponytail. Usually, they would have come a bit more casually dressed but with Mr. Adam present, following the dress code was kind of necessary.

The cellist in question, Albetoven, was a young blonde haired man in his mid-twenties with short but neat hair that partly draped over the left side of his face, the standard tailor-made tuxedo, a bowtie over his chest and some special white gloves meant to protect both the bow and fingers from damage.

"Yeah sure, but Albertoven's not the one on stage tomorrow. ' _You'_ are" Mr. Adam said as he glanced over at her. "You're the one that wanted to go, solo young man, so is it fine for you to start teaching a colleague the Cello when you only have three live performances under your belt. You aren't exactly golden yet" the old man pointed out as he adjusted his tye.

"Well, he's not a student yet. He wanted to transition into the Cello and asked Yellow and me to help" they pointed out to which Mr. Adam shrugged. Their old teacher wasn't very impressed with Alberto, unsurprisingly. He generally had little attention to give to aspiring students that didn't already naturally have a talent with their instrument and after two weeks he was still playing the Cello like a Violin.

Padparadscha carried on. "As for the performance tomorrow. Don't worry, after I finish up with him I'll be pulling double time with practice tonight."

"Extra hours don't count for much if your too exhausted to focus when the crowds in front of you Padparadscha" Mr. Adam pointed out as he folded his arms, a cautioning look in his eye as he glanced back at the stage. "And I think I've heard about as much as I can take… CUT" he yelled to Yelena who nodded and motioned to her partner to stop, cutting the music abruptly.

"Is there something wrong with the performance sir, I'm sure I was on the right note too" Alberto said as Mr. Adam stood up and straightened out his shirt.

"Young man if you intend to become a cellist by just going through the motions then I suggest you stick to the violin. Your performances actually didn't put me to sleep on those occasions" Mr. Adam said with his usual blunt honesty before turning to Pad. "I'll be taking my leave back to the Orchestra now. I'll be back for your performance tomorrow Padparadscha, don't disappoint me" he said before turning his back to them and walking up the aisle to the exit.

"Of course. sir" Padparadscha said to his retreating figure with a relaxed smile. Years of listening to him mercilessly nitpick their work made them well accustomed to it. He was always hard on them at first, but when he was pleased, he always made sure his students knew it. Still, it was a bit concerning having Alberto's attempts spat on.

He responded to positive reinforcement a lot better than harsh criticism.

"Sheesh, nothing quite as off-putting as having the head of an entire orchestra say you can't play an instrument," Albertoven said with a disheartened look as Padparadscha gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"He was just as hard on me and Yellow, trust me. He's a nice guy"

"Once you get past his jerk exterior" Yelena added.

"Come on Yellow, isn't that a bit harsh" Padparadscha responded to which Yelena snorted.

"Not all of us are masochists like you Pad. I swear the way you use to shrug off the things he'd say to your face, you're unflappable sometimes."

In response, Padparadscha laughed it off lightly. "I guess I'm just used to being called worse by my Mother.". Smirking they looked over at the empty seats, then back at Alberto. "Mr. Adam's kind of always going to be in our lives so long as we work for the Theatre, I just accepted that. Besides our Maestro's still getting better, let's buy Beethoven a drink for his diligence."

Alberto smirked at the little nickname .

"Here here," he said in response as he stood with the Cello in hand.

"Pfft, you guys can go on ahead. I'll catch up after I put this stuff away" Yellow said as she snapped her fingers and stood up.

"We can wait for you," Padparadscha said as they grabbed Alberto's chair.

"Nah, I want the alone time. I'll catch up" Yelena clarified prompting Pad to give a casual nod before taking their chairs backstage. Once that was done, the two waved off Yelena and headed out to the bar down the street.

There was never a fast food or pub far if you were in the entertainment district, they were all over the place. The nearest bar was the one across the busy street, and Padparadscha made a beeline for it with Alberto in tow.

It was a bit worrisome how often they ended up eating out at small places for lunch. As someone that enjoyed cooking most of their meals, having fast food four times a week was concerning, to the point that they'd on occasion skip out on meals and wait until they got home before having dinner.

"Are you sure its alright for you to get buzzed up before practice Pad?" Alberto asked as they stepped into the bar. It was pretty empty save for a few patrons that kept to themselves at various corners of the pub. Just the right kind of atmosphere to unwind and chat.

"Of course not. You're the one getting drunk here, I'm just having a little soda" Padparadscha said with a smirk. Alberto chuckled in response.

"With all that sugar in there? Then again your sweet tooth knows no bounds, even if you get fat and your suit stops fitting".

Always the sharp witted one, he was. The slightest of veins popped along Pad's temple at the thinly veiled mock.

"Shut up, I exercise every two days," they said somewhat self consciously as they glanced at him over their shoulder. At full height they stood shoulder to shoulder, so it didn't take much to glare at him, Alberto wasn't concerned however

"Hey, I'm not saying its bad. I mean, you're a Cassanova as you are, but you could stand to put on some weight" he stated, tone becoming a bit less teasing and more dangerous.

"Oh yeah?" Padparadscha asked, unsure as to whether or not they were being insulted right now. That was just the way Alberto was, an asshole and nice guy, neatly bundled together in a way that made him oddly endearing.

"Indeed," he said placing a thoughtful hand to his chin. "You've been roughly the same figure for four years straight. Makes me wonder if you starve yourself half the time. Your dedication makes the rest of us feel lazy you know" he prattled on. Though Padparadscha's amusement was gradually shaping into irritation the further it went on.

"Do you want a kick to the nether region?" Padparadscha asked quite candidly as they turned around to face him. His blue eyes stared back at their crimson orbs expectantly, narrowing ever so slightly

"No, actually I want a date," he said, grabbing Pad's wrist. "Just think of how famous I'd be by association if we hooked up dude. Concerto and his sidekick the blonde Beethoven. We'd be the ultimate power couple-"

"No thanks, blonde's are bimbo's" Padparadscha cut him off, before yanking their hand back. Without missing a beat, Alberto responded.

"I can be the bimbo, and you can be the sugar daddy," he said winking. Padparadscha groaned, this guy just knew how to push their buttons sometimes

"God damn it Alberto, do you have an off switch?"

"Yes, it's the "yes, I'll take that date" button. Though its only works orally" he said.

He was a handful, though that was something the redhead was well accustomed to over the years. At the very least he kept things from getting dull, though they'd be lying if they didn't find it a bit charming.

This was the third time since they'd started teaching him that Albertoven actively flirted with them. "Could you be any less subtle with the 'I'm into you advances' dude?" Padparadscha asked with dry amusement as the waitress finished up with the people in front of them.

It was a young woman with tanned skin and white hair, "Thanks for waiting, what can I get you!" she chirped very enthusiastically.

"I'll have some scotch, Cherry Coke and fries. No ice" Padparadscha said, their arms resting over the counter. The Scotch was for Yelena, and they already had an idea of what Alberto would ask for, but considering they were covering the whole tab they figured asking was appropriate"What'll you be having Alberto?"

"The usual," he said stepping up to the counter, rather annoyingly. Well, there were only two drinks he ever ordered. He'd have to settle for whatever he got he was going to be cryptic about this.

"And what would that be sir?" the waitress asked.

Rolling their eyes, they turned back to the waitress. " That would be a medium Mar-ack!" they were suddenly cut at the intrusive sensation of an arm hanging over their rear. The knee-jerk reaction was to lash out but the rational part of their brain quickly reminded them there was someone standing right in front of them that preferably didn't need to know.

"Are you… Alright ma'am, your face is looking red" the waitress said, their green eyes blinking curiously.

Furiously Pad's eyes shifted to the blonde standing next to them that had a vacant look in his eyes, but with his lips curving up ever so slightly.

"I'm… Fine". He was all kinds of dead after this. "He'll take a dry Martini, and make it a medium," Padparadscha said, managing to complete the sentence despite the constant intrusive feeling at their rearend. Not helped at all by the occasion squeeze Alberto would exert.

Yup, he was definitely gonna wish he was dead later.

"Got it. So some scotch, a cherry coke with no ice, fries and a dry Martini?" the woman repeated as they wrote it down on the cash register.

"Yup. Exactly" they said as they casually reached behind to tug on his hand, their fingers digging into his wrist. He flinched slightly at the pain, but his hand stayed in place, somehow getting even bolder and nonchalantly sliding a finger between their legs. At this point, the Cellist's teeth were grinding against each other and the heat on their cheeks had grown even more pronounced.

"Alrighty, cash or card maam…? Ah, you look a bit sick. Are you sure your alright" the waitress asked again, noticing their behavior had changed. Was he even worried they'd get caught? Any of the patrons just needed to glance in their general direction to see what was happening.

"I'm fine. Can you just get our orders" Padparadscha snapped.

"I'm sorry, but you need to pay first. Bar policy" she responded politely.

"Card then."

"Are you sure your alrig-"

"I said I'm fine!" Padparadscha responded louder than they intended to at the waitress who shrank back at the snarl in their tone.

"Ah.. Ah. As you say" she responded, unsure as to how to react beyond switching on the atm machine.

It was at that point that Alberto chimed in

"Sorry, he's just having a bit of a stomach ache. You need to be more polite with people you know" he said with that infuriating voice of his. Wordlessly Pad placed their card in the atm, waiting four excruciating seconds for the card to register and typed in their pin code.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I just assumed he was a she. I didn't mean to be rude! … And done, give me a minute while I fetch your order" the waitress as she turned their back to them and, perhaps just as eager to be away from Pad as Pad was to be able to attend to their little issue.

Narrowing their eyes, their grip on Alberto's wrist went from silent protest to yanking it off and bending it painfully to the side,

"Dude, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Padparadscha growled, the blonde gave a sheepish laugh in response. Though one slight flick from Pad's wrist had him flinching in silent pain.

"Well. You did ask me if I could be-"

"I swear if you finish that sentence by implying you actually thought I was asking you to grab me I'm snapping your wrist" the threat was clear in their tone as Padpardscha's eyes narrowed. Anger really wasn't something that came naturally to the redhead, a rough upbringing had brought on a hard shell to go with a laid-back demeanor. But moments like these were the exception

"Yes teacher" he replied, wincing slightly. "Ouch. Ah… I'm sorry. Please, could you not-ow". There was no excuse he could give that Pad really cared about hearing, whether he was just messing around or not that kind of violation of personal space was unacceptable.

This wasn't over, but for now, they'd put it aside. "Don't do that again," Padparadscha warned before releasing his wrist. He was a nice guy, but really he also had a bit of a track record with pushing his luck."

"You can grab the drinks. I'll find us a place to sit" Padparadscha stated as they walked off. Some cool off was a bit necessary, and his presence made that a bit difficult.

Finding an isolated spot wasn't hard, this place wasn't packed to begin with. Still, they noticed a few couples glancing at them as they passed. The preferable answer was they recognized Pad as the person on the poster that would be performing at the theatre across the street. But the more likely response was they had seen what was happening by the counter. At least, if the little smiles some of the girls tossed their way meant anything.

They choose to ignore it and took their seat by the wind. The chairs being one of those leather seats with a centre table to allow four set of people to eat at once.

Laying down,they leaned back and rubbed their temple. They needed to get to work on their performance after this. Padparadscha had rehearsed the song to death and wasn't worried. Still it never hurt to get in some extra practice. They had already told Yelena and Alberto to head back home so they could practice without distractions, but after this little incident Albertoven probably just made things a bit harder for Padparadscha to focus when the eventual time to work came.

As the seconds passed by Pad casually tapped their dark gloves the table, Pulling them off their hands buy the middle digit edge and stuff in them into the suits inner pocket. They then pulled out their phone and opened up one of those random endless-runner apps to pass the time. The bar was so quiet enough that it was relatively easy to get absorbed into the game without noticing anyone anything else. Restarting each time they failed until they reached another milestone in a set of arbitrary daily challenges.

Pad watched the little 3d man run down the endless road, ducking, sliding and vaulting over any obstacles in tandem with the little taps they'd give the screen, a vacant expression on the Cellist's face as the man face fell onto a rock, rather comically you might add. That was when they noticed a slight obstruction to the sun on their face, prompting them to glance over and flinch slightly at the sight of a face pressing up against the glass, staring at them with narrowed green eyes and a child like pout.

"Pho..teus?" Padparadscha stated needing a second to recognise the boy who frowned before pulling back. Their eyes nudging towards the entrance, Padparadscha rubbed their head in exasperation.

Standing up, they headed outside and called Photeus over.

"Shouldn't you be at school right now?" Padparadscha asked as Photeus eagerly walked over to them.

"We finished early. So I decided to put up the rest of the posters around town. Praise me!" he said as he smiled and beat his chest proudly. He obviously snuck out of the orphanage on his own, but Padparadscha choose to ignore it and gave the boy a light pat on the head.

They tilted their head slightly and smirked. "Well then, great and generous Photeus. Will you grant this unworthy mortal your company?". Photeus shook their head.

"I'm Phosphophyllite, remember?". Ah, right, that ridiculously convoluted name they couldn't pronounce… Then again with a name like Padparadscha they weren't one to talk.

They settled for the short form. "Right, Phos…"

"Yup, I'll have some beer then."

"Ha, the closest thing your getting is soda" Padparadscha replied.

Dissatisfied Photeus pouted and looked up at Padparadscha with puppy dog eyes, they didn't do much though. "Please!"

"Only old people have that junk kid, a sugary soda's always better. Trust me"

Closing the store door behind Photeus Pad walked over to their seat just as Alberto came into view with their tray, wondering around like a lost puppy for where Padparascha had placed their seat. A pure wave brought his gaze over, It didn't linger though as Pad lead them both to the chair and told to both to have a seat while they got Phos something to eat.

Quickly buying a regular Fanta and burger from the waitress who offered yet another apology. It would have been adorable if Pad wasn't feeling a bit mellow at the moment. Most people just picked whatever gender they wanted with Padparadscha being too indifferent to the concept to have any complaints. If Pad being a guy or girl made things more natural to others, then more power to them.

Returning back to their seat, they noticed Yelena had joined them and had already started taking sips from their Scotch. Albertoven sat by the window next to her and waved as Pad came into view. Photeus sat with their arms folded and shoulders stiff, looking rather annoyed for some reason.

"Well, you didn't take long to get here at all Yellow" Pad stated as Yelena put down their glass to look over.

"Well, I did say I only needed a little bit of time. Missed me already?" she asked to which Photeus scoffed.

"I think it's the little guy that's missed Pad, frankly," Alberto said earning the glare from him. But in his usual asshole fashion, he didn't stop "Wouldn't even let poor Yelena sit next to him when she showed up."

"I was just saving the seat for Pad- I-I mean for myself.. ack" Photeus sputtered, switching lanes at the last second as his cheeks heated up. "I hate you," Photeus said to the blonde who just chuckled lightly, Padparadscha raised a brow and Yelena simply shrugged before taking another sip.

"Well, I got you a snack Phos" Pad stated, deciding to leave the matter in the past. Generally Photeus wasn't too fond of Albertoven. Still Pad liked to think they marginally got along.

Laying the tray in front of him Padparadscha slid onto the seat next to the green haired teen, as they took the seat next to him

"Thanks, Pad" Photeus chirped, eagerly digging into the burger.

"Sure thing. Did you walk all the way here?" Padparadscha asked as they rested their chin along the knuckles, .

"Yup. I'm kind of exhausted" he replied, after swallowing.

"The orphanage is like fifteen kilometres from here, and you. walked?" Yelena asked, a bit surprised.

Photeus gave another innocent nod. "Well, I don't really have much money and some of the bus drivers around the Orphanage know me… This burger is delicious" he said in an attempt to change the subject.

Padparadscha was a bit taken aback by the honesty in his tone considering how much he hated exercise, yet he walked all the way here just to see them. Padparadscha was filled with an odd mix of appreciation and concern. Photeus was a naïve and generally unassuming child. There weren't any number of strange people they could have run into.

One thought lead to the next and before long alarms were setting off in their head.

"Phos, after that trip to the hospital last week didn't the Doctor tell you to get some rest? You didn't need to go to all that trouble, I visit every Friday to Sunday. Remember" Padparadscha pointed out as they dug into their fries.

Recalling the fever he'd worked up a few days ago mixed with their natural worrisome disposition wasn't helping

"Yeah, she said I just needed to rest. She was kind of scary, to be honest" Phos said, momentarily getting lost in their own imagination before recalling the actual topic. "I just want to see you everyday. And class was so boring" Photeus replied.

"Yeah, but what about all the creeps hanging arund town, squirt like you... Wouldn't fair well" Albertoven pointed with a sip of his Martini. Photeus glared up at him momentarily before retreating back to his burger.

"The only creep around here is you though" he muttered under his breath.

"Photeus, be polite," Yelena said with a relaxed but stern smile.

"I'm just honest, he was being a creep to Pad earlier" Photeus stated, very matter-of-factly. Padparadscha paused for a moment between sipping on their straw . Hoping to hell he wasn't going to say what Pad thought he was gonna say.

"He's a creep around everyone Pho, its his charm" Yelena responded, seemingly thinking nothing of Photeus's anger beyond his general dislike of Alberto.

"Thanks?" Alberto said, uncertainly.

"Yeah, but. But when I looked throuhj the window he was grabbing Pads Bu-" he said when Padparadscha promptly cut him off by placing a palm over his mouth. Though it was already too little too late, the damage was already done and Yellow paused her drinking dumbfounded for a second before lowering it and looking over at Padparadscha who averted their gaze

"What…?" Yelena asked. Glancing over at Alberto for only a second before smiling slightly. "Were you going to sat butt?" she asked.

"Mhmm" Photeus confirmed despite the hand on his mouth. A sly smile formed on platnum haired girl at Phos confirmation.

"It's not what it sounds like," Albertos said trying to salvage the situation. But Pad already knew they wouldn't hear the end of this one for a good while. "Padparadscha just needed help with something…"

"Help with what exactly, groping their ass?" Yelena asked, suddenly quite invested in the conversation. Exasperated, Padparadscha facepalmed. The heat already returning to their cheeks.

Seeing he wasn't helping matters in the least, Alberto, was perhaps trying to make matters less complicated for Pad at the very least and choose his next words a bit more carefully, or rather, more bluntly.

"… No, actually. I was acting like an idiot again. And groped 'em in public. It was uncalled for."

The humour in her face dyed down a bit and Yelena frowned slightly. "Oh, that kind of groping.". The implication that it wasn't consensual having taken the humour out of it.

"See, he's a total pervert," Photeus said as he pulled Pad's hand away.

"Ha, I can't argue with that logic" Albertoven admitted in a self depricating fashion. Glancing up at him momentarily Padparadscha considered a few words but thought better of it. The cold shoulder he'd most certainly get from Yelena was a deserved punishment for him, though hardly the best one, still they were somewhat thankful he was at least taking blame willingly. Then again they were probably being too soft on him.

"Well, we can talk about 'that' later," Yelena said, glancing directly at Pad as the words left her mouth. "I can take Photeus back after we're done eating. Do you plan on staying at the studio late?"

"It'll be hard to say how long until I'm started but probably a while".

Of course, those words didn't sit well with Photeus

"Hey, I didn't come all the way here just to go back. I wanna hang out with you and Pad today" he whined.

"Sorry Phos, I'm just swamped right now. Concert tomorrow. But in few days I'll visit again" Padparadscha said with a friendly pat on his head. He shook it off however, looking genuinly annoyed.

"But its no fun there, the cities way better. Why can't I at least see the show tomorrow evening. It's not like the teachers don't know you"

"Yes. But the shows at 8:30pm. That's past the time you're allowed outside. Though you're not even supposed to be wandering around town without an adult."

"I came on my own, I can take care of myself. Come on Pad, please. It's not like you guys can't watch out for me"

Obviously given the chance Pad would have gladly let Photeus attend, but at the moment that wasn't their call to make. A much as they knew Photeus hated that place. The only real way they could do let Phos stay out that late was by becoming his legal guardian, to be a guardian he had to be adopted first, and adoption fees to a cellist no longer attached to the Orchestra's steady pay wasn't something Pad was sure their wallet could handle. Sure between them and Yelena they could both manage it but that was a responsibility neither really needed right now.

"It's not really about our dependability Photeus. You just need to have a little patience". Yelena's words were feeble at best with the thirteen-year-old. He was too young to really get why it was problematic.

Growing frustrated with the lack of progress he folded his arms and looked out the window. He always was challenging to get through to when he was mad.

"Ugh, alright I get it. You guys can't let me come" he said with a groan. "But… can I maybe hang around you for a bit longer? Please?". The answer was obvious, but Photeus still wanted to try

This was getting tiresome.

Yelena smiled slightly. "Tell you what. We can stop by at the arcade for an hour before you go back."

"Fine…" Photeus grumbled, seeing that there was nothing he could really say that would convince them to let him stay.

Sulkily he took another bite from his burger, this, of course, prompted Pad to ruffle his hair and smirk. He was a handful alright, but he was a good kid.

They continued chatting for a bit after that as they enjoyed the break, Albertoven's usual confidence rearing its head before long. Though he was a bit more restrained now, his little admittance having earned him a little less patience from Yelena and to a slightly lesser extent, Padparadscha.

Once they were finished up, they headed back out onto the busy streets. Alberto still had some stuff to grab from the Theatre before he could go home. As for Padparadscha, they planned on at least walking Photeus over to the bus station before they'd part ways with him and Yelena, but the latter pulled them to the side wordlessly.

"So, care to elaborate on what happened earlier with our Maestro?" she asked as she brushed back her bob cut hair. The look in her showing she were ready to dull out whatever punishment was required depending on Pad's answer. Well, there wasn't exactly a clean way to put it.

"It was his usual messing around… He was bound to get bolder sooner or later" Padparadscha responded with a frown. Yelena brows furrowed at the flippant tone in their reply.

"You don't sound too annoyed. He's a flirt but grabbing you in public is kind of pushing boundaries" she pointed out with a slight glare in his direction. Padparadscha's relationship with Yellow was one cultivated over the last decade when they were both amateurs in music class, so they weren't too far off from siblings at times. There were certain protective demeanors that came with the familiarity, they supposed.

"No arguments there, almost broke his wrist on the spot. Still feels like it only happened because I didn't set the boundaries early on."

"Since when are you one to not make your intentions clear. If I didn't know any better, I'd think your into him" Yelena pointed out with a scrutinising look. Padparadscha groaned at that response. Well, may as well make it clear right now.

"Well, he's an ass sometimes. But it's not that I'm necessarily put off by him". In truth, there was a certain level of curiosity there. But that was something that could be said for a number of their co-workers over the years. Padparadscha was open to dating many types of individuals, even the would-be jerks in their life. But these relationship were only ever flings at most. Far too focused on work to really invest those kinds of feelings in another person.

Yelena smirked slightly, an obvious tell that they understood what was happening. "So, you plan on giving him a shot then? You guys don't seem like you'd be a good match though" Yelena said quite candidly.

Pad snickered at that remark. He certainly won't be their first choice at a glance, pretty boys were often just that, pretty boys. Nice in a vacuum but shallow with commitment.

"Giving him a shot? I haven't decided on that yet, but we'll see if he's worth more than talk."

Placing a hand on her hip, she gave Pad a slightly surprised look. "You're serious about this huh, though compared to that other chick that ' _hit it and quit It'_ with you he can't be your first choice."

Padparadscha knew who she was referring to without thinking, with how they went to the trouble of asking Dia to book an extra seat on the restaurant they were having dinner at on their birthday. Only to get ghosted on a week later. Boy was that embarrasing.

In hindsight, they were pretty to naïve think a stranger they literally met at a bar in a random town would actually care about pursuing a relationship with them, if nothing else it served as a warning. 'If something seems to good to be true, it probably is'

"Nope. But hey, when it boils down to it I'd rather date someone that I know, than take a gamble on a stranger"

Yelena laughed lightly. "That's cute. Sappy, but cute. Alrighty then. But if he tries shit like that again I'm kicking his ass".

"You'll have to get line. I call first dibs" Padparadscha replied. Glancing back at Photeus and Albertoven who stood waiting for them ahead they could see that the Greenette had found some other reason to get mad at Alberto who seemed a bit preoccupied trying to defend himself from a verbal onslaught. "Anyway, time to get back to work" Pad said as they walked over to the two.

With a friendly smile, Albertov asked. "Done with your little chit-chat?"

"Just about done… Hey Phos" they placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be good with Yelena, and I'll see about getting you to spend the weekend over at my place". Phos eyes instantly lit up at those words.

"Really?! You swear?". It was so much easier said than done, but with some prodding, there was a chance they could get away with that.

"... Yes, really" Pad said, a bit hesitantly. Photeus's smile widened. "But only if you behave" they added

"I promise… But I can still hit the arcade for an hour right…?"

"Yeah, we can hit arcade kiddo. Now come on" Yelena said as she walked past him in the direction of the bus stop. Nodding Photeus quickly scurried after her. Leaving just Pad and Alberto standing on the street.

Wordlessly Pad walked over to pedestrian crossing, waiting for the traffic to slow down. Albertoven had to take second before realising he was getting left behind. Padparadscha made no attempt at conversation as they waited, Alberto likely felt like starting up another conversation was a bit awkward now that they were alone again.

"Hey, I ah… I Hope you're not still mad at me."

"…". They offered no response, crossing the road once the lights went green.

"Not to say you shouldn't be mad at me, I wasn't thinking straight at all when I grabbed you and I'm really sorry about making Photeus embarrassing you in front of Yelena-"

Stopping at the entrance to the Theatre Pad sighed and rubbed the bridge of their nose. They then glanced over at him over their shoulder. "You want my forgiveness?" they asked, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Yes, sincerely," he said, pressing his palms together and bowing slightly in shame.

"Then don't bring it up"

"… Really?"

"Yes, really. You pretend that didn't happen and let me work in peace for the rest of today. And I'll pretend it didn't happen either. And let's make sure it doesn't 'ever' happen. Hmm?"

"I… I can do that" he replied. A look of relief washing over his face.

"Good. Now pack your stuff and go home, I need to get practice done."

Nodding he gave a genuine smile. "Thanks, Pad. I appreciate it."


	4. Chapter 4

"Is this too passé for me, Rutile?"

"It looks fine Jade."

"… You're just saying that."

"Ugh. Then why'd you ask?"

They had been at this for an hour straight, Jade never was one for formal events. Tended to trip over her own words when any crowd over ten people had their eyes on her, avoided staring too hard and sure as hell could never pull off a self-assured smile to save her life in those scenarios.

Rutile wasn't sure what sort of embarrassing scenarios her friend had gotten herself into as a teenager, but this was being blown out of proportion. Yeah, it was a suit and tie sort of venue, but they'd just be seated in the crowd watching the show.

"This is my first time going to a theatre in ages, presentations really important!" Jade replied as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a black dress with frilly sleeves that reached down to her elbow,as well as some chrome tinted bracelets on each hand. A charming fit that went well with her short hair that for tonight was brushed off to the right side of her head quite neatly.

"It's not like you're the one on stage, the outfit's fine and so were the last three you took off." Rutile said rolling her eyes. As one who had a relatively influential family Rutile was well accustomed to events of this nature, as well as the sort of dress code expected. As things stood, Jade was stressing herself out far more than necessary.

As for Rutile, she wore the bare minimum of what was expected to an event like this. A simple black button shirt with matching pants and high heels. If anything Jade stood a higher chance of sticking out with a dress that ostentatious, ironically enough. More ironically, Jade's habit of panicking over little things was unconsciously making Rutile play the straight man in a situation where by all accounts she should have been the nervous one.

They sat in their little motel, and the show was scheduled to start in the next hour, and with that realisation came a mix of terror and perhaps mild excitement. Unsurprisingly, they hadn't booked front row seats. She wasn't quite bold enough for that, despite Alex's prodding. There were a few record signings down the line according to the website, but the next one was on Tuesday, and she wasn't quite ready to test her bosses patience by asking for extensions beyond what was initially discussed.

Alex had a plan for it though, but she hadn't disclosed the details. Definitely no cause for concern there...

There was a vocal click from the bedroom door, followed by a creek from the nob as it slid open to reveal Alex standing by the doorway, wearing a green dress with shoulder straps, as well as long emerald gloves that reached her elbows. Wearing light make up that wasn't quite as flashy as what Jade put on but enough to complement her eyes and hair.

"Nice entrance," Rutile said with a dry look.

"Thanks. Green with envy?" she said, drawing attention the, well, green motif in her all her attire.

"Not really, but It looks great on you Alex" Rutile responded as she got up from her bed. "So are we ready to go?" she asked.

"Ugh, that looks better on you Alex… Maybe I should wear green too?" Jade muttered with an indecisive look that had Rutile rolling her eyes.

"Take off that dress, and we'll be dragging you out the door butt naked," she said with a tired look that had her friend frowning slightly.

"You guys aren't even a bit nervous about the looks we'll get from all the old geezers and grannies for not dressing well?" Jade asked, looking for some kind of validation from Alex when Rutile gave a blank look.

"Jade, we all look fine. Just grab your stuff so we can go". Jade pouted at their words. Evidently she would get no encouragement.

"… Fine" she muttered.

Ten minutes later they were all buckled up in Alex's truck. After nearly wrestling Jade away from the bathroom when she suggested changing into to something a bit less fancy there was a near kneejerk instinct to child lock her door.

Brushing her hair back into place Rutile sighed and sunk into her seats, the entire trip was building up to this, and she was damned if she would let this opportunity pass by.

"You know, with outfits like these this truck sure looks pretty urban for us" Jade muttered as she looked out the window.

"You want to walk?" Alex replied as she switched on the ignition, her eyes flashing at Jade from the rearview mirror.

"Right, sorry" Jade responded, shifting her gaze with an apologetic smile.

* * *

Padparadscha and makeup were two things that had a very situational relationship together, for lack of a better term. It was good, if not essential for cosplay and other casual events they had with their friends, but when it came to their work image, presentation was important and to Padparadscha it often made them feel rather artificial on stage. Projecting an insincere image of themselves

As such, when Diana insisted on being their dresser for tonight's show they were a bit aprehensive. Even if she was some kind of certified hairdresser.

"Dia, is this really necessary?" Pad questioned as the girl tickled the skin on their face with a brush

"Of course! On a stage like this, you need to look good."

"Yes, but remember. I only want a minimalist job on this" Padparadscha clarified to which Dia sighed.

She smiled slightly and switched to an eyeliner. "Of course, but you'd look beautiful on stage. I bet the audience would think you're like a Angel". Typically Yelena was the only other Person Pad trusted to comb their hair, but since Diana had been so eager to do so tonight, for free they agreed to let her do it.

Initially, Pad wasn't too interested when Yelene brought it up a week ago over lunch, but the more they thought about it, the more they realised a professional hairdresser offering up a one-time free service wasn't something to scoff at.

That being said, considering the restrictions Pad tended to place on their presentation on stage those skills would be largely unused

"Anything but that-" Pad replied when the hairdresser cut them off.

"Done" she chirped, stepping aside from the dressing mirror so Pad could observe their own reflection.

Without uttering a word, Pad took the time to take in every detail, only a hint of lipstick and mascara with four strands of hair hanging just over their forehead with the rest of it neatly brushed back in a neat ponytail. Additionally there were little sprinkles of glitter along their scalp and bangs.

"Huh" Pad cooed thoughtfully.

"It was a little boring with all the rules, but I hope this is good enough," Dia said, sounding a bit disappointed with her work.

There wasn't one flaw in her style, Dia had followed their instructions to a T.

"Its… Perfect actually. You're awesome Dia" Pad said with a grin as they glanced at Dia over their shoulder. Dia, on the other hand did not look particularly impressed with the job she'd done, despite that she still smiled.

Putting the hair curler away Dia replied. "Well, a satisfied customer is all that matters". At the moment hiring them as a full-time hairdresser didn't seem so bad, though that might not have been very affordable for the redhead presently. "Now you can spellbind the crowd with your viola and look pretty at the same time.

"I play a Cello."

"Right"

There was a light knock on the door and Pad stood up, straightening out their tux and making doubly sure everything was in place while Dia answered the knocking. On the other side, Mr. Adam stood dressed in his usual conductor attire.

"I trust your preparations are complete then. Padparadscha?" the man asked with his hands stuffed into the folds of his pockets.

"Just about done sir" Pad replied, turning round to face their old teacher. The mans face was an emotionless mask, his eyes scrutinising them for any imperfections in the state of their suit.

"… So I see. Was the glitter necessary?" he asked as his eyes scanned them from head to toe.

"No, but it's a personal touch" Pad said with the calmness of one that knew all the in's and out's of the conductors dress code preferences.

"Very well then, I see you've been quite a pedantic with such things" he said with slight smile, that was about as close to a compliment as any aspiring classical musician could hope for from Mr. Adam. "You're up in ten so see to it you're on stage shortly.

"Yes sir."

With a simple nod, the man turned and continued walking down the hall.

Well, that was all the encouragement they needed. "knock em dead Pad. I'll be watching" Dia said with an encouraging smile that Pad returned before they headed down the hall,in the opposite direction to Mr. Adam, down a flight of stairs and appeared backstage where Yelena and Alberto stood waiting with the former holding their Cello in hand.

"Took you long enough, I thought you'd be late." Yelena said with a relieved look.

"Needed to make everything perfect" Pad responded as they stopped in front of Yellow who laughed lightly in response.

"Perfectionist as usual," she said.

"Well, all that matters is that Pad's here now," Alberto said with a smirk. "You look great Pad, now you just need to kill the audience with your bow."

Taking the Cello and Bow from Yelena Pad flashed them both a wink. "That's the plan" the Cellist said

The chair was already laid out on the stage, where the curtains were still down. Regardless the crowd could still be heard on the other side, possibly an even bigger turn out than last weeks with all the chatter they were hearing. Or perhaps not, it was impossible to tell until they were performing.

With a deep breath, they walked up the stage with the Cello in hand and took their seat in the middle, making sure they assumed the proper posture. Knees spread to the side of the instrument with the base resting on their chest, the scroll hanging past the left side of their head with their right arm holding the bow with a relaxed grip, each thin digit falling into place while their wrist was shifted to the left ever so slightly.

Turning their head over to the assitants on the overhead platform, they gave a simple nod. And with that the curtains opened dramatically, and the whole crowd came into view. A full house by the looks of it and that knowledge was a bit intimidating. As part of an orchestra, Pad was just a single cog in a much larger whole but sitting here alone really brought things into perspective.

Taking a deep breath, they placed the bow against the Cello's string, let their eyes close and started playing.

* * *

The drive over to the Theatre was a short one, surprisingly enough. Little to no traffic with only one stop light throughout the entire twenty-minute drive, she wasn't complaining though.

They might not have been sitting at the front but they were just three rows behind it, close enough for Rutile to observe the performance without Pad having any real chance of spotting her in the crowd. Though would Pad even recognise her after a year and a half? It was hard to say. Though if they didn't then that would be pretty telling in itself, wouldn't it?

"Rutile" Alex suddenly said, pulling the doctor out of her reverie.

"Hmm, yes?" she responded, a bit absentmindedly as Alex glanced at her for a moment before bringing their gaze back to the road.

"We can still turn back if you're not sure" she replied, making it clear that she could still turn back after all this time. But that wasn't something she even needed to think about.

"After all the trouble we went to? We can't". Buying tickets, asking for a weekend leave and sitting through a four-hour drive. There was no way they could justify all that wasted time if Rutile didn't go through with it.

Still, by the look in Alex's eye. She wasn't so concerned with that as she was with Rutile's well being.

"True, but when we get into that theatre there's no turning back. Even if you panic."

"I won't be panicking"

Jade cleared their throat from the backseat, reminding them of her presence. "Speaking of the theatre, how do you even plan on getting them face to face?" she asked.

Taking a moment to perhaps contemplate if they should answer or not Alex glanced at her on the rearview mirror. "Let's just say I know a thing or two about sneaking into places I shouldn't."

"Oh, and for a minute I thought you were going to pull out some secret VIP card or something" Jade responded, not looking too impressed. And neither was Rutile.

If this entailed some kind of trespassing Rutile didn't like her odds, still if they could just get close enough for Pad see her. Things would resolve themselves, or so she hoped.

Soon enough the theatre came into view and Alex made a turn into their car park. "Were here" Alex announced as the car came to a stop.

"Great, with minutes to spare" Jade announced as she pulled off her belt and got out of the car, Alex and Rutile followed suit.

The lot was fairly dense with a number of especially ostentatious looking vehicles parked all around, nothing to really note considering the sort of venue it was. Of course, only rich upper class people would go to an orchestra of all places.

Walking through the entrance, they made their way along the large red carpeted reception and joined the crowd as they shuffled into the auditorium.

"Fancy place" Alex stated as they approached one of the ushers who gave the trio a formal nod.

"Tickets please" he requested to which they all complied. Stamping all their tickets, he lead them down the aisle of chairs, all the way to the fourth row from the stage before turning back to them and pointing towards the row they were meant to be seated at. "There, your seats will have a corresponding the number to your ticket. Enjoy the show" he added with a polite smile before returning back to his post.

It only took a few seconds for Rutile to realise her fingers were shaking lightly, uncontrollably in fact. It was beginning to really dawn on her that there was no turning back from here. She knew that and she still chose to come here, so why on earth was she getting cold feet now?

She just needed to calm down and have a seat, that was all they needed. Just a moment to get this out of her system.

Her face remained an empty mask as they walked across the row until they found their seats. And Rutile was more than eager to have it, anything to make the shaking less noticeable.

They were amongst the last batch of people there to get seated, so it wasn't long before the crowd went relatively silent, save for a few occasional murmurs and laughs. The lights dimmed over the auditorium, with the only illuminated area being the stage.

Then suddenly the curtain opened, revealing a lone figure hunched over a chair with a Cello in hand. Rutile's breath hitched as they took in their appearance

The individual sitting on stage had long, ruby red hair that practically sparkled under the spotlight. Their face a mask of calm confidence with their bright red eyes piercing the crowd so sharply it almost felt like they were looking directly at Rutile herself.

There was no mistaking that look anywhere, Padparadscha was sitting just a few feet in front of her. And with that knowledge came the near unbearable temptation to run right up to the stage embrace them in the tightest hug of her life, and for the briefest of moments she even considered doing just that… But she couldn't, that would just be Rutile making a complete fool of herself in public while simultaneously ruining the whole show for everyone.

She quickly dispelled the thought as the Cellist methodically fiddled with their bow before adjusting their hold on the Cello. They then closed their eyes and took in a deep breath.

"So that's Padparadscha huh…" Jade whispered to Rutile who was too absorbed in the show to really take notice. Smiling knowingly they turned back to the stage.

The moment the bow made contact with the string the atmosphere around room changed completely. The song started out slow and somber, akin to one of those old dirges her father had introduced her to at a young age. A similar tune to Moonlight Sonata's ominous start that gradually splintered into its own unique rhythm as the seconds passed. Padparadscha's fingers effortlessly alternating between the bow and Cello strings with an ambidexterity that only came from years of practice.

Midway the piece picked up in pace, every subtle shift of the bow gradually becoming harder to take notice of as their finger pressed along the strings of the cello's hilt. Their eyes clamped shut, yet completely relaxed as they played. As though their mind and body melded into one singular entity with the Cello as they raised the tempo another notch. Their fingers becoming a blurred mess as they continued playing.

It was hard to say, with her very limited history with classical music but the song Pad was playing was reminiscent of her fathers favourite Cello song, the Allemande from Bach… Or perhaps not, it sounded like a lot of things while also none of them. Though considering she knew next to nothing on this subject perhaps it was better for her to not think too much about it

Regardless, there was one thing they could say for certain. Standing on that stage, with the Cello in hand was a person that looked closer to an angel than human, the way their hair sparkled with every subtle head tilt, the almost nonexistent but barely noticeable smirk on their red lips… It was hard to believe they had at one point shared a room with that person.

The song was entering its third minute and still showed no sign of slowing in either intensity or pace. She'd been in her share of extensive surgeries and was no stranger to the arm fatigue that tended to strike one hour into the operation, one of those things you got use to overtime. However, on an operating table, the careful methodical approach to most tasks tasks always encouraged them to move slowly, especially considering they were operating on a living human being.

Pad was playing so effortlessly it almost looked like they were just haphazardly rubbing the bow against the strings, but the way the piece flowed so fluidly from one section to another could only be achieved with an unbelievable amount of precision. Their left digits rapidly alternating between the four strings along the hilt, the timing on each transition precise and perfect down to the last second.

It felt like it would go on forever, rising and falling rhythimically in pitch and tune, but eventually, after a little over ten minutes the song came to a stop and with one last flick of the bow the Cellist concluded the song and lowered their hand, a carefree smile adorning their lips as the crowd started applauding. And without much thought Rutile joined in, clapping earnestly with a genuine smile on her lips.

A slight glance to either of her sides revealed that Jade and Alex had also been equally mesmerized by the performance.

"Well, there's someone that can really play a fiddle" Alex noted with a smirk on her lips.

"She must be like a pro. That dexterity was incredible" Jade chirped in agreement.

On that, they were all in agreement, she had often wondered what Pad playing the Cello would be like, and had she been asked a month ago Rutile would have never imagined she could have a such an opportunity to do so… Pad was just so, so perfect.

The nurturing yet alluring individual she'd met on that evening felt like a completely different person in front of a crowd. And losing that bond was an undeniably foolish mistake.

Standing up from their chair, Padparadscha straightened out the tuxedo with one arm while staring down the crowd with a confident smile. Holding the Cello up straight with one hand they bent over and bowed just as the curtains closed over them.

In what felt like the blink of an eye all the fear and terror of this moment that had consumed Rutile was gone, replaced by a determination the likes of which she wasn't sure she had ever mustered to this degree in such a short time. One way or another, she was going to meet Pad tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

"Impressive performance, Padparadscha." Mr. Adam had said rather candidly as Pad stepped off the stage with her Cello in hand. The compliment was so unusual it momentarily gave the redhead pause.

"Thank you sir, that means a lo-". In an almost trollish manner, he took it back to a more familiar backhanded compliment, about what was his speed.

"However, you forgot to breathe on two occasions during the show. And your boisterous performance nearly had me convinced you were trying to break your bow… Well done, but be sure to keep decorum in mind" he said with a slight pat on their shoulder before turning to the stage. "There are a few more performances being hosted tonight, however your free to return home and rest after that show"

A backhanded compliment was nothing new from their teacher, but ever since Pad had gone solo the conductor's penchant for checking out their shows had grown into an unspoken endorsement, he knew, Pad new it and everyone else knew it. The crowds more than proved it, even if it was never pointed out.

 **"** Thank you, sir, but I think I'll hang around for a few more shows tonight" Padparadscha answered with a cheerful smile. Other than the mild stiffness in their shoulders, they were mostly fine.

"As you wish," he said as he walked off towards the staff lounge. Wordlessly stepping past Yelena, Alberto and Dia who all stood waiting for theur Cellist

With a sigh, Pad rubbed their shoulders and walked over to them.

Dia was the first to step forward, looking at them awestruck. "That was incredible Padparadscha! I knew you were good, but that went way beyond what I was expecting". Pad smiled sheepishly, it was a pretty good performance to any random person. But to Pad it was the same quality as their last three live performances, serviceable at best but generic and unoriginal at worst though that may have just been the perfectionist in them speaking.

"Stop, you'll make me blush" they responded with a wink.

"It both looked and sounded great though. Have some pride" Alberto pointed out. Smirking he glanced at Yelena. "Right Yellow?"

Yelena cracked a small smile at hearing that nickname from someone other than Pad. "Agreed, that was great performance Pad." she said as she stepped forward to pass Pad a bottle of water. "Come on, we should get some drinks at the bar. It's a free night" she stated with a grin.

After that little show Pad was more than ready to cut loose and get a little drunk in the company of some friends, but they still needed to pick some stuff up from their dresser.

"That would be nice if there was no work tomorrow" Diana grumbled, though it didn't take long before a dutiful smile took its place.

"Come on, you can't be that busy. Get drunk with us Dia" Yelena replied with a pout. The multicolored hairdresser giggled lightly. It didn't sway her though and Dia shook her head.

"Sorry Yelena, I have work and besides that Bort's has his first Kendo tournament tomorrow morning"

"Well, suit yourself. Pad?"

Padparadscha nodded. "Of course, I just need to grab my stuff in the dresser."

"Oh, well that's already along the way. we can come along" Alberto chimmed.

"Sure" they replied. Eager to get a move on, evidently they weren't as interested in hanging around as they thought with Mr. Adam.

* * *

"This is a stupid idea," Jade said very candidly

"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears" Alex replied with an irritated look.

Shortly after Padparadscha's performance, Alex dragged them off to the lobby and with the cover of the crowd snuck past the three or four Ushers standing around the counters. Of course, the staff door was locked without the use of a keycard, and so Alex had them retreat back outside to the parking lot where they found an open window off to the side.

"Aren't you just a little worried about getting caught, we could go to prison who knows how many years!". Jade couldn't have announced her fear any more explicitly, though not misplaced was getting blown a bit of proportion.

"For trespassing? Unlikely. The most we'll get is a fine… But we aren't getting a fine because we're not going to get caught" Alex said with a confident grin as she pushed open the window sill.

"Are you that much of a rebel Alex. Rutile don't you think this is dumb?" Jade muttered with an arm holding up the hem of her skirt.

"It is without a doubt the dumbest and most rebellious thing I've ever done. Doesn't mean I'll stop now though." she replied dryly. Jade grimaced and looked about a bit paranoid.

"You guys are crazy… This dress isn't made for scaling you know."

Alex glanced over her shoulder and sighed. "A downer as usual, you can stay by the car if your so scared Jade."

A choice of words Rutile did not appreciate, however. She flashed Alex a scowl and turned back to Jade who was beginning to sulk, probably the most sensible one of the three even if Alex was hard on her.

"Jade… It would mean a lot to me if you come" Rutile said with a genuine smile. Even coming on the trip alone was asking a lot considering how hectic her job was, sure she wasn't nearly as enthusiastic with this as the other two were but putting her down wasn't exactly fair.

Jade looked away and sighed. "… Fine. I'll come along, since your asking nicely" she said, swallowing whatever inhibitions she had left and turned her head back.

Alex was the first inside, having some strain with the upper body strength the activity demanded but raised herself into the dark room nonetheless. After a few seconds of hoping to hell that the room was empty and Alex wasn't just caught they heard a response.

"All clear. Your next Rutile" Alex said, sticking her head out the window. Nodding she was about to go through with the act herself but one glance in Jade's direction made clear that if she went in next Jade most certainly wouldn't be following.

"Jade. Maybe you should go next" she said turning to her. The greenette folded her arms looking a bit offended.

"What, you don't think I can make it?"

"Considering the guide man on our last camping trip had to piggyback you to the station after you scraped your knee last year... I think that's a fair assessment."

"But that was an accident…". Her pride didn't last long under Rutile's doubtful gaze, needless to say. "Fine, I'm a bit out of shape…"

Nodding their spread their feet and raised their palms. "I'll give you a boost. " Rutile said. "Help her inside Alex."

Of course, the pharmacist looked a bit bashful with her general lack of fitness being pointed out so blatantly. "Thanks…" l Jade said a bit halfheartedly but answered nonetheless. stepping on Rutile's open palm Jade blushed slightly as she was raised, using the heart surgeons shoulder to balance until she could reach the ledge. Alex was quick to take her hand, and with Rutile' shoulders serving as foot stands Jade was able to easily crawl through the open window.

With the hard part done Rutile brushed her shoulders clean before in one quick motion, easily hoisted herself onto the one story ledge and into the room. The others momentarily paused in surprise. "So where is this?" Rutile asked, completely oblivious until she noticed they were both staring at her. "What?" she asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," Alex said as she walked over to the door. The illumination from outside was just enough to make out that they were in some kind of dining room. "I'll step out first. Just act like you belong here, and there shouldn't be much trouble before we find your girlfriend."

"Unless she calls security on us," Jade remarked.

"Well, let's try to be a little optimistic, hmm?" Alex countered.

"Let's just get a move on," Rutile said, not acknowledging their teasing

And so they did, walking out onto a staff hallway, the trio walked onward, passing by one or two people that looked like stage dancers for the next show. Thankfully no security were on sight for the most part. Who would have thought acting the part was all you needed.

Was it their outfits that kept them from sticking out or just the fact that no one really seemed to look at them longer than two seconds as they hastily moved on to whatever it was they needed to do? For a few minutes, Rutile was actually beginning to think they get away with when.

"Pardon me, but could you three show your backstage pass?" said a female voice behind them. They all instantly froze in place, of course, it was too good to be true. And yet they were already so far. Alex looked towards Rutile and Jade first, fishing for any ideas only to find they were both looking to her for just that.

"We… Of course, just one second" she said turning to the woman who looked to be about just as old as Rutile and Jade with the entire right side of her scalp an ocean blue hair colour while the other half was completely silver. She had an ID card around her neck with the name Euciel written over.

It was just stalling at most, and one glance at the woman's direction revealed she was clearly not buying their excuse.

"Ah, must have left it at the dresser…" Alex said with a sheepish laugh. The girl sighed, visibly unconvinced.

With a hand on her hip her eyes narrowed. "Is that so? You three aren't dressed to be around here, and there were no reservations set for guest cards tonight. Unless you can produce those cards, I'm afraid I have to treat the three of you like trespassers."

At that Alex looked visibly panicked, evidently having not given her plan too much thought. Not that there was much she could have really done in the first place.

Rutile glanced from Alex's crooked smile to Jade's clearly freaked look, honestly, if the lack of passes reduced their legitimacy then the guilty looks from either of her two co-conspirators was damning.

The truth seemed like the only real option left. With a resigned sigh she turned to Euciel. "Your right, we aren't supposed to be here… But we just wanted to meet Padparadscha" Rutile admitted with a straight face.

Euciel blinked, a surprised look in her eye briefly before she replied.

"You mean Concerto? Why would you want to see him?" the woman asked, genuinely surprised they even knew the performer's first name. The girl still hadn't called security on them, perhaps the situation could be turned around.

Alex and Jade remained silent, watching the exchange worriedly.

Well, if the lady was giving her a platform to reply, she'd take it. "We're fans of their work… And we're also old aqaintan-"

"A common term of phrase around here. If you were here for the 'Metal Windigos', I might have bought it but Concerto isn't exaclty popular by any stretch… I'm calling security to escort you out" she said pulling out her cellphone.

Getting dismissed when she thought she was actually making progress, she sure as hell wasn't going to let this girl stop her. But, she also didn't want to do anything that would get them arested.

Arms shaking she stepped forward and grabbed Euciel's wrist as she was about to tap the dial button. Looking her straight in the eyes. "Please… I need to see them. It means more to me than anything else" she practically begged.

Euciel was startled, no doubt thinking she was about to get assaulted.

They maintained eye contact for a full ten seconds before the girl stepped back and drew back her hand. "… I don't why I'm doing this, fine then, his rooms not far from here. But no messing about. Understand?" she warned looking to Alex and Jade.

"Yes". "Of course!". Both Alex and Jade replied in unison.

"Thank you so much" Rutile said with a genuine smile, surprised at her kindness.

* * *

"Don't you get sleepy?"

"Nope?"

"but you rehearsed all night yesterday."

"Yup.

"And you're ready to get drunk for a second night?"

"Yup".

Pad stood in their dresser room, grabbing their personal effects and zipping up their Cello. The second person in question was of course, Alberto who had offered to follow the Cellist back to their dresser while Yelena drove Pad's truck out to the back entrance for pick up. Of course, he would be the one to engage in idle chit-chat as he sat back on the wall as they gathered up.

The topic of interest being their current work schedule which despite his objections Pad thought was full of nearly enough things to do in a day just yet, time for music practice was always ideal but Pad was considering getting back into the Kendo scene, ever since that Bort kid showed up they had skyrocketed their way to the top of the dojos duel board. Pad wasn't participating actively enough to keep their spot with their job taking most of their time but a chance to see what the kid could do felt ideal, at present. Of course that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

Unscrewing their water bottle Pad chugged the whole thing down in one go.

"I'm thinking you should probably give yourself a bit more free time. You're at practice way too often… Of course, your not gonna do any of that, are you" he pointed out as they emptied the bottle and sighed blissfully. After that show a water bottle hit just the right spot. "

"I'll take it" they said, the thought suddenly striking them.

"What, you mean the vacation?" he asked a bit taken aback Pad was actually considering it. Well he was wrong, so perhaps there was some sense left in the world after all.

They snorted at thought. "Only if I want to end my career early, hell no… I mean the date, Cassanova" they clarified.

Alberto paused. "Seriously?"

"I can retract that offer if you like."

"What? No! I just wasn't expecting that at all after yesterday…"

Pad didn't acknowledge the reference, even if Alberto had already forgotten ' _that'_ didn't happen. "I'm free tomorrow, so here's your chance to somehow make me want you," Pad said dryly.

"Ah… Ok, what time and where do we mee-"

There was suddenly a knock at the door.

Placing her Cello case back down Pad turned to the door. "Come in," they said.

As the door slid open Euciel's familiar face came into view. "Hey Padparadscha"

"Euciel! Here for an autograph?" Padparadscha asked with a joking smile.

"Ha, your show was wonderful… But no, actually there are some people here to see you"

That came as a surprise. The only people that they could imagine dropping by for any reason were their colleagues from the Orchestra but even then they only ever made phone calls.

"Who is it?" Padparadscha asked.

"A bunch of girls actually, they snuck in backstage somehow but one of them claims she knows you personally"

Well this was new to Padparadscha, they sure as hell weren't famous and even then fan girls was a bit weird considering most teenage girls probably weren't into classical music,

"Fangirls already? You sure are popular" Alberto stated with a chuckle.

Pad raised a brow. "And one of them knows me?"

Euciel nodded. "I can have security escort them out if you're not interested. They probably made it up as an excuse anyway."

From outside an annoyed womans voice could be heard. "Tch, its not made up!"

Well, this was quite a curious turn of events. At the very least they would talk to this so-called 'acquaintance'.

"As you can hear… Their quite persistent about meeting you" Euciel said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Should I be worried?". It was a joke, but Euciel replied regardless.

"I can have security take them back when you're done. But they're probably harmless."

"Send them in" Pad said simply.

Euciel nodded. "Alright, you can come in!" she said, knowing they were probably listening in.

The first person to step in was a young tall woman with long green hair that looked to be about Pad's age if not a bit younger.

"H… Hello I'm Alexandria, your shows was fantastic this evening!"

Pad laughed it off with a smirk, assuming their more laid back, Concerto persona."Glad you liked it, you guys are fans of mine, hmm?" they asked as they glanced behind Alex to see another girl with shorter green hair standing by the doorway. "Don't be shy now, come in" they said with a welcoming aura.

Alberto choose to say nothing and watched the conversation while Euciel stepped to the side for them to talk.

"Ah… Hi" she said a bit meekly, stepping with a bit less confidence than her friend.

"I practiced the violin in school, but I could never really get good with it, but you were like a well-oiled machine on that stage!" the Alex woman said with an amazed look as she took Pad's free hand that wasn't holding the water bottle. "And their still so soft after all that. What's your secret-"

The sudden physical contact was unexpected but Pad was more engaged than put off and smirked

"Haha, no secret hun. Just my natural skin I guess."

"Alex, you're making her uncomfortable…" the greenette said with a sigh. Almost immediately the girl released her hand and stepped back, rubbing her head cheepinshly.

"Ah right… So sorry, its just amasing talking to someone who was just on stage. Performing like nothing"

The sudden shift to meekness genuinely got a laugh out of Padparadscha.

"No apologies necessary, I'm no celebrity yet, so you can keep calm-" they glanced over to the second girl. "-And you are…?"

The girl blushed and averted her gaze nervously... "I'm… Jade. Its an honour to meet you" she said, forcing herself to look Pad straight on. It was adorable, frankly.

"Likewise. Enjoyed the theatre?"

"Yeah, but your act was the only one we came to see…" Jade stated. Well that was flattering, it even drew the mildest blush on Pad's cheeks, though they smiled through it

"… Hey, now I'm flattered but making the perfomer flustered's a crime you know." they joked, enough to break the ice and draw a slight smile from Jade.

That being said, which one of these two did Pad meet in the past. Was it one of those 'met on a train and had a long, yet meaningful conversation together.

"So, which one of you girls did I meet before?" they asked. Both Alex and Jade shared a glance at that question before turning back to Pad.

"One second," Alex said as she turned around and went back to the door. Suddenly some struggling could be heard from the corridor along with muttering "Don't give me that I'm scared crap. This why were here… Come on" Alex could be heard on the other side.

Eventually, Alex's head popped back into the dresser and had someone hiding behind.

"Jeez why are you being so shy now?" she muttered. "Sorry she's a bit embarrassed I guess."

Pad raised a brow at their antics but said nothing, these girls were weirdos, and Pad was loving every minute with them.

"Well, I won't bite, much. And catching up with an old acquaintance can never be bad…". Their breath hitched, and their smile faded as they spotted a lock of brown hair and a matching eye peek out just a bit from behind Alex.

It was odd, how their gut was immediately sending out alarms and recognition set in at a breakneck speed. It couldn't have been her, could it?

Eventually, the girl stepped away from Alex and came into full view, dressed in a simple black button shirt and pants with her multicoloured bangs brushed in that same neat style they could still remember in every detail. There was no mistaking her.

"… Rutile?" Padparadscha said, their eyes widening in shock. The girl nodded meekly and looked back at them with a glint in her eyes that could only be described as fearful.

Despite it she still smiled.

Something fluttered in the Cellists gut, yet there was also an uncomfortable churning. What emotion did they feel. Happiness? Anger? Fear? Or was it utter disbelief at seeing someone that by all accounts they'd long given up on ever meeting again?

Pad just stared at her speechless, a flurry of emotions flooding through their crimson orbs.

Finally Rutile smiled up at them.

"Hi Pad… Been a while…"


End file.
